512 Pixels

Back in March I wrote about the Jonathan, a computer Apple worked on in the 1980s that was designed around modularity:

In that post, I wrote:

My understanding is that the project never made it past the “conversations and mockups” stage. I get why the Jonathan never made it beyond the concept phase, but part of me wishes I could round up a bunch of modules meant for this platform. At least we have some fun photos and renders to enjoy.

Earlier this week, I got an email from 512 Pixels reader Geoff. He had a family member named Tom Toedtman, who worked at Apple in the 1980s. In April 1986, Tom wrote a memo to Apple CEO John Sculley in an attempt to save the project from cancellation.

What follows is that memo, published in full:

This communication is offered to you with the hope that you will agree that the significance of the Jonathan project to Apple’s long term goals warrants its completion now.

Now because the cognizant engineering teams are together; the knowledge is together, and Jonathan is a great product.

JONATHAN, a MODULAR SOLTUION:

Obvious non-obsolescence

• This design REMOVES THE FEAR that this computer will be obsolete next year. It will also remove a similar cause of hesitation — “I’ll wait for the next model to be released”.

• System growth capability is far beyond marketplace offerings. This is a great point of sale asset, particularly for serious users, businesses with growth plans, and individuals with a growing future.

• True multi-master coprocessing. The right architecture for tomorrow.

• Configuration flexibility is also far beyond the marketplace. Jonathan can be loaded in any mix of current and future hardware by the customer. Fileserver, process controller, and numerous other special applications are now viable.

RAPID introduction of new hardware

• Standardized product design, manufacturing line, and final packaging are in place for CD-ROM, Optical magneto disk, 80MB drive, etc.

• Enclosed peripheral cards is a desired value added enhancement for most customers.

• An equivalent Jonathan appears cost competitive with Milwalkee.¹

It goes on:

Although we do need to respond to the market; the market will never tell us how to innovate. Those ideas are born here. It is our reputation.

The Jonathan Product Design, and the capability it offers, is the innovation. Apple deserves to win only if it tries; only if it gambles.

Marketing has the products they want and need for the near term, and we have the resources and desire to develop them- including Jonathan. No market research was accomplished (as requested in Sept.), and no better explanation was presented by Wayne Dyer other than the other products make the most sense for the Marketing Plan.

On behalf of several of your key Engineering managers, and many of your dedicated contributors, please consider the possibilities, check it out with us and Marketing, and give this product a chance to be the great product we think it is.

Would you be willing to discuss this product’s potential with myself, Jon Fitch, and/or other Engineering managers?

This memo is fascinating for several reasons. First, it appears that the Jonathan concept was much further along than I previously thought, including packaging materials.

Secondly, it shows just how passionate the people who worked on this were about the idea. Tom’s career at Apple included other projects, including the IIGS and working on the design of the case for the Mac IIcx. His name is even on the inside of early examples of that machine. He saw the Jonathan as a way forward from those more traditional systems.

Of course, we know that this memo didn’t save the program, and Sculley shut it down, and nothing like the Jonathan ever shipped.

If you want to crosspost to Threads, Mastodon, and/or Bluesky, this new iPhone app by Ben McCarthy and Aaron Vegh is a lifesaver. I’ve been using it for several weeks, and it’s been very helpful when posting about our St. Jude campaign. It’s useful and delightful, as you would expect from these two developers.

I don’t think the Apple Desktop Bus Keyboard is anywhere near Apple’s best, but this project is wild:

As of this writing, Relay’s annual campaign for St. Jude just tipped over the $1 million mark. Myke and I hopped on his Twitch channel to watch it happen:

If you haven’t given yet, and you can, there’s still time! The campaign will run through the end of the week.

If you have already given, look into employer matching. It’s a great way to make your donation go even farther. Details are on the campaign page.

Most of all, thank you. Myke and I consider the nearly $4 million from the Relay community to St. Jude to be our company’s legacy, and this year, y’all have blown us away. St. Jude saved my son’s life, and thanks to everyone who gives, their work continues to save the lives of children all over the world.

This week on Mac Power Users, we talk about Apple’s new hardware, then take a tour of macOS Sequoia, iOS and iPadOS 18, and watchOS 11.

From the most recent post over on iMore, announcing that no new posts will be published on the site:

It’s a keen reminder that the world of technology never stands still: The term ‘artificial intelligence’ was the reserve of science fiction in the early days of the iPhone. The world of publishing is forever evolving too, as do the forms of technology journalism that look to shine a light on the industry. iMore leaves the stage at a pivotal crossroads for online publishing, where the battle for readers’ time and attention is more demanding than ever before, and the aforementioned AI advances and search discovery methods further complicate the playing field. It’s been a joy to serve such a passionate readership over the years, but it’s time to pass the baton to new writers, new sites, and new formats.

This news isn’t shocking, but it is sad. Many, many people in this industry — including me — spent time writing at iMore. When I first went out on my own nine years ago, Rene Ritchie invited me to write a column over there, and I’ll always be appreciative of that.

The mention of AI in the blog post made me feel even sadder, given that so many dead sites are now lurching along, powered by LLM-written garbage. I hope iMore won’t fall to the same fate.

This week on the show:

The original Connected crew is reunited just in time to share their initial impressions of the Apple Watch Series 10 and iPhone 16 Pro. They also discuss Apple’s definition of a photo and how they should introduce one another.

I know these machines have earned these labels but jeez.

Apple’s VP of camera software engineering Jon McCormack gave Nilay Patel a quote about how Apple views photography in our modern age. Here’s what he said:

Here’s our view of what a photograph is. The way we like to think of it is that it’s a personal celebration of something that really, actually happened.

Whether that’s a simple thing like a fancy cup of coffee that’s got some cool design on it, all the way through to my kid’s first steps, or my parents’ last breath, It’s something that really happened. It’s something that is a marker in my life, and it’s something that deserves to be celebrated.

Federico Viticci wrote what I would have written, had I been more online this weekend:

“Something that really, actually happened” is a great baseline compared to Samsung’s nihilistic definition ( nothing is real) and Google’s relativistic one ( everyone has their own memories).

I like Apple’s realistic definition of what a photo is – right now, I feel like it comes from a place of respect and trust. But I have to wonder how malleable that definition will retroactively become to make room for Clean Up and future generative features of Apple Intelligence.

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We’ll be live on the Relay YouTube channel all day, raising money for St. Jude:

Joe Rossignol:

Apple has seemingly leaked the rumored next-generation Mac mini with five USB-C ports, according to a code change within Apple software that was discovered today by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris.

The code refers to an unreleased Mac mini model with an Apple silicon chip and five ports, which lines up with a previous report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman that said the next Mac mini will be equipped with five USB-C ports. Similar to the Mac Studio, Gurman said two of the ports will be located on the front of the new Mac mini. Technically speaking, at least some of these ports will likely be Thunderbolt 4 ports, which use the USB-C connector design.

The string in question reads “Apple silicon Mac mini (5 Port).” Whoops.

I am intrigued by what this smaller Mac mini could bring, and what it could enable folks to do. The Mac mini finds itself in all sorts of places where other computers just won’t fit. A small, more power efficient model will only extend those possibilities.